Willie Maher is now considered as the leading contender to succeed Liam Sheedy as manager of the Tipperary senior hurlers, according to the Irish Examiner.
Maher guided the county minors to an All-Ireland title in 2012 and was manager of the U21 side from 2015 to 2017 but the latter tenure yielded no reward at provincial or All-Ireland level.
Maher was also a selector at Waterford under Derek McGrath in his first season and managed Cuala to two senior Dublin titles in 2019 and 2020.
He is currently part of the Bennettsbridge backroom in Kilkenny – the side produced a shock win over Ballyhale Shamrocks at the weekend.
The 42-year-old was linked with the senior job before Liam Sheedy returned for his second term as boss in 2018.
Sheedy won the All-Ireland in the first season of his second term with the side but two quarter-final exits in the next two years have left a lot to be desired.
Recently, Wexford GAA announced that they had hired Darragh Egan as their new senior hurling manager.
Egan is a former Tipperary hurler and was a selector at Tipperary under Liam Sheedy in his second stint with the Premier County.
The 35-year-old has also coached the Tipperary under-16 hurlers, a job he held previous to his role as a selector.
Egan stepped away from his role with Tipperary when Liam Sheedy brought an end to his second tenure in charge of the 28-time All-Ireland champions.
The new Wexford coach has also won two All-Ireland titles as a player on the Tipperary and brings the 11 years of experience he has as a player to the Model County.
Egan’s role with his club Kildangan GAA has seen the side rise from the junior championship to become the county’s senior champions last year.
If the appointment of Egan by Wexford is anything to go by, success matters for an inter-county hire – Maher has experience with success.
